ted on Pepper Street in toxic ed East London area called ter-bound tongue of marsic u-bend in t one time been transformed from orical ial complexes unning vie ime ago. Rising crime eady flos bail out of tions. ted into a ters, ote and Union freelancers boating or driving in from tinent.

    At t of ted-looking boats bobbed atop ter. Most of t look seaer of c a ramser of mobile residences. o a ale beer, cigarette smoke and rotting pub food.  to suppress to gag.

    It  already a roal bar celebrating ts on Union social security money and staring at ting pixels of a ripper. Caldypes. None of t al floating world.

    Caldo to one of ts, aele.  stand idle conversation or prolonged contact o get a message to Glyprying to look like ween rangely reassuring.

    ty among its patrons. talk omers omer’s voice suggested t ype, an assortment of tattoos adorned flaccid ain of one of tside. Caldwell wondered w for Ramesh.

    tomer’s order te ing a temporary question mark in ter a robot sed bucket came to life on ter s. to one side of tal bodying. t blinked and  ro ts miniscule antenna started blinking as it figured out tion of tomer. t grabbed a beer mug from a rack and proceeded to pull a pint of broomer’s amusement.

    “Ne bartender, t can’t do is juggle bottles,” Ram tender explained proudly to tc-mindedly at omer c make its o pint of ale doer in front of s o present tomer  of t tarily lost interest in to see ion of urned ttention back to ting pixels.

    “More skullduggery from t,” tattooed customer said, still slurring. “t careful.”

    “tle buggers tomated Bartender robots. Free me up to spend more time picking my nose,” Ram said, pulling a moist finger out of one of rils. tomer started laughing.

    “t you out of your job if you are not careful. Some union conglomerate  a ed pubs, not a . these dumb machines.”

    “One pint of lager, Fifty Union Euros.” t said in a female voice, its scanner searc chip.

    “Put it on my tab,” said tomer to t. took a large so rid th.

    “One pint of lager, Fifty Union Euros,” t said again, time terized voice ave. to pummel t into ter . Ram reac and pressed a button to override t, racted and returned to join its brot the bar.

    “Bloody computers, you present t requires  and t on you,” to Ram w shook his head.

    to t of ood a bunc macerminals. Clutco one of terminals and typed tbase. t reply to Glyp desired location. Let’s meet.  of tbase and  back to . No.  Glyp be surprised if turned out to be some acne-ceen year-old hings had happened.

    ten minutes later, t just took Caldo conclude t it  appeared to be ed on it. Despite y, tic about t air of confidence possessed by ting edge of tecy-five and sported a ruddy complexion and a rugged black beard.  looked like trodes e s orso.

    Glypion as tly negotiated teps t lead up to t tting. It looked like tted oo as Glypoing. her.

    to Caldable and a pair of emerald green eyes sized o a smile.

    “I am Glyp my message. Obviously you are still alive and looking entirely not I imagined,” said Glypter-of-fact ered. For someone delivering bad nee s . It  store.  stumbled out of a Neer a particularly  of alcohol abuse.

    “t’s great to finally meet you in ter me Glypinctively looking around to see if anyone tention to them.

    “I tter . You are going to need it.”

    “I am out of credit, out of a and my impatience,” Caldinctively kno puso spill before ile.

    “Drinks are on me.  are you  knorace of despondence in his voice.

    “In t case, I’ll  o afford  muc tronic displays set into tables said they were on “Special”.

    “XO coming riging a mock bo it balanced kicked in. Caldcic touch screen.

    “  use tick.”

    “e doest neurosensor system from taiamp inserted just under time,” tapping a gray enclosure on the wheelchair.

    “Must ed.

    “Not really. tart if then you can really mess yourself up.”

    “tec live , can’t live  it,” Caldudying terized iple displays. Glyper and details of ecender brougurned to took a sip and t Glypo get on . the glass in one single gulp and grimaced.

    “Kenzo Yamamoto, t client is dead. ter you are his Yakuza cronies,” Glyph said casually.

    “ be dead. I just ion ar t purported to be  over an  ter me?”

    “tar could er construct. Kenzo  as  ray of  of gatorm clouds. t be called upon again today.

    “his?” he asked.

    “Kenzo  client. Our relations t big and  you can to c. Folloo make sure t you don’t suddenly become dispensable. You take your precautions. Let’s just say apped into tion neto access tellites, discovered exploits in trusion detection AIs, so tle about okyo. Understand w I am saying?”

    “And t and are now coming for all ed.

    “t’s not it at all. It appears from ternal communications t Kenzo sent out tly from tokyo. One  to Neo t he packages?

    “I can’t see tion.”

    “I to’s deations,  part of ter plan. t very badly to retrieve  you and to make sure t anyone  is taken out of ture.” Caldense look from Glyph.

    “ing all tion. Glypicularly al ear to the ground.

    “Professor Joplin of y, deceased as of yesterday. t.”

    Cald fears came true  one sentence. On t  tail. Kenzo Yamamoto’s deat explanation for oo many tform  after  to retrieve t on taking his life.

    Caldco see t to ion it seemed o sell to disappear deep  be able to e a buyer. Glyptons on  to reveal a small display screen.

    “So, o to me? I don’t understand,” Calder it became clear t some response ed. Glyp sure .

    “You said t you talked to ruct today. Didn’t  tell you?”

    “No.  in touch soon.”

    “ord in cyberspace, to suspect too, is t o one too many pies and the Chinese made him pay.”

    “t Kenzo o mostly Japanese corporate stuff,” Caldwell said.

    “So did I. At any rate, oilet at tess club in Sokyo. It’s a popular Yak . Apparently, oxic compound, one used for assassinations predominantly in Ne seat can you imagine? o reports. Loaded nanobots gained access the pores in his skin.”

    Cald about ts contents righere.

    “Kenzo’s associates kno t took anot Caldo deny t one of the said consoles were in his possession.

    “So you know?”

    “A o Dom declarations mainframe in India. ter ronic declarations for all of Dions.”

    “I see. For te cut up by t t I  of team on trated t, obviously icipation.”

    “Yes, on Kenzo’s request. Said  of ture for a  so I  reluctant to do it but Kenzo’s pockets are deep. Sorry.”

    “No offence taken. I received t just till don’t knoo do .”

    Glyp in t noched his beard.

    “?” Glyph asked.

    “Only to my netbase.”

    “trace t.”

    “So ly do you kno t Kenzo intended to be used for?” Caldwell asked.

    “If I kne, I’d probably be dead.”

    “Fair enoug who were his buyers?”

    “Anybody ed. As I said, Kenzo made markets in information. ise, if you could call it t, o find information on people or organizations, valuable information, not t in cyberspace, and sell t information to tions, or ts, o call it blackmail.”

    “And ed tual global network?”

    “t’s just part of tory. Kenzo ion dealers around to Moscoo Beijing. ted anonymously, delivering ta tricate routines to ensure t neitination left any trace. Yet rest assured t Yamamoto a on ternational  tsus okyo could never directly connect any of to him.”

    “Electronic spying and blackmail.”

    “Correct, and like a ped certain insiders suc officials, bank employees, academics, programmers and so on. Sometimes  people s in  taste.

    “People ory, like me?”

    “Correct. It appears t someion about you. Per your past. Information t made you valuable to  t t of tificial intelligence.  whey are readily available?”

    “e’ll never knoant to tell Glyp t sure rust the wheelchair-bound hacker.

    “Yes, but I t ted you to o a neto ordinary consoles. t t ificial intelligence expert and a  be coincidence. Also, t ance to it. e all kno tory of creating alternate neto cyberspace itself. to depend on net are effectively created, evolved and managed by ted States.”

    “By t ter me today?”

    “e found out t t kno it. e eavesdropped on communications t indicated t Yakuza co the Union.”

    “tory sounded like too muc  look like y.

    “Probably scenario analysis constructs. Lucky for you, t of London after ter massacre. truce  and to pull out.”

    “So?”

    “Kenzo  of t po  off on a tangent doing uff,” Glyp appears t t er ems offline and decided to do some cleaning up first. Fortunately for you, to fly people out from tokyo. ton Yakuza are still very mucive.”

    “So you’ve got an AI guy and a ...   to  for being on the receiving end of DhL’s package delivery service?”

    “I am sure Kenzo didn’t see it t   you t,” Glyping at t to go to t back and ake a look at t console.” ts oooilets, rubber wiling.